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The mother of a black teen who was killed after playing music loudly might be headed to Congress

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lucy mcbath ron davis

  • Lucy McBath won the Democratic primary election for Georgia's sixth congressional district.
  • McBath is the mother of Jordan Davis, a black teenager who was murdered in 2012 by a white man who complained about his music being too loud.
  • Davis' death spurred McBath to become involved in politics. She ran on a platform supporting gun control laws.
  • The district has gone to Republican candidates for the past 40 years, but the last election was close.

 

Lucy McBath, the mother of a black teenager who was murdered by a white man who said he was playing music too loudly, won the Democratic primary in Georgia's sixth congressional district Wednesday night.

McBath's son, Jordan Davis, was shot and killed by Michael Dunn in 2012. Dunn killed the 17-year-old after he refused to turn down the rap music playing from his car. He was convicted in 2014 of first-degree murder and sentenced to a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

McBath said she was spurred to become involved in politics after her son's murder. She quit her job as a flight attendant and served as a spokesperson for Everytown for Gun Safety and Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America, both of which are largely financed by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

As a candidate, she's running on a platform that includes gun control legislation. Her victory Wednesday was in a runoff election against the local businessman, Kevin Abel.

"It's just not enough to have the marches and the rallies and the speeches and the remarks,"she said in a statement after her victory. "Championing for them in Washington is still championing for my child, I'm still a mother, I'm still parenting. That's why I believe this was the time to stand up."

McBath faces a difficult general election. Georgia's sixth congressional district has voted Republican since 1979, when Newt Gingrich was voted into office. But after Tom Price resigned from Congress in 2017 to join President Donald Trump's cabinet as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the runoff special election to replace him was close. Democrat John Ossoff came within four points of Republican Karen Handel, who won the seat. (Price resigned in disgrace after eight months in the job following criticism of his use of private planes and military aircraft for travel.)

McBath will run against Karen Handel in the general election in November. Handel, endorsed by the National Rifle Association, supports lax gun control laws.

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